Through the Life in the Spirit Seminars, we have over the past 40 years, brought people into a deeper relationship with Christ, and a recognition of the gifts they have been given at their Confirmation to help them reach others for Christ ... when we pray with people, we want to bring them into an encounter with the living God who we have encountered.
- Terry Riggins, Liaison to the Charismatic Renewal, 2014
Life in the Spirit Seminars in the Diocese will be announced here. All are welcome to come learn about God and having a personal relationship with Him. Sessions are free.
The Bible refers to the Holy Spirit as "the Comforter," and at a Life in the Spirit Seminar or Retreat you can better understand and start a friendship with the Holy Spirit. More than a cloud or a dove, as often comes to mind when the Holy Spirit is mentioned, the Holy Spirit is a Person of the Holy Trinity. He loves you and wants you to fully live. You can have a life of purpose, joy, and confidence because with the Holy Spirit, you will know that God is alive, and He is here for you.
"I'm calling on people to hold Seminars of New Life in the Spirit, where a person can get in touch with some part of Christian doctrine, where they can experience the Renewal and pass from being nominal Christians to real Christians." - Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap., preacher to the papal household since 1980
The Popes throughout history have taught about the Holy Spirit. Get to know the Holy Spirit by reading what the Church teaches. The Catholic Charismatic Renewal invites you to learn more at a Life in the Spirit Seminar. At a Life in the Spirit Seminar, there are opportunities to be prayed with to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. While it is true that we receive the Holy Spirit in the Sacraments, we should continue to grow and not settle for having encountered Him only in the past when we first received Him. Every day we should spend time with Him in prayer and seek to know Him more, like a close friend.
"Do not say that it is impossible to receive the Spirit of God. Do not say that it is possible to be made whole without Him. Do not say that one can possess Him without knowing it. Do not say that God does not manifest Himself to man. Do not say that men cannot perceive the divine light, or that it is impossible in this age! Never is it found to be impossible, my friends. On the contrary, it is entirely possible when one desires it." - St. Symeon the New Theologian, 949 – 1022 AD, Hymn 27, Verses 125 - 132.
"Do not be afraid to go out on the streets and into public places, like the first Apostles who preached Christ and the Good News of salvation in the squares of cities, towns and villages. This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel (Romans 1:16). It is the time to preach it from the rooftops (Matthew 10:27). Do not be afraid to break out of comfortable and routine modes of living, in order to take up the challenge of making Christ known in the modern "metropolis." It is you who must "go out into the byroads" (Matthew 22:9) and invite everyone you meet to the banquet which God has prepared for his people. The Gospel must not be kept hidden because of fear or indifference. It was never meant to be hidden away in private. It has to be put on a stand so that people may see its light and give praise to our heavenly Father." - St. John Paul II, World Youth Day, Denver, 1993
"Bear witness to all of the joy that his strong yet gentle presence evokes, starting with your contemporaries. Tell them that it is beautiful to be a friend of Jesus and that it is well worth following Him. With your enthusiasm, demonstrate that ... the only way in which we find the true meaning of life and hence true and lasting joy, is by following Jesus"
- Pope Benedict XVI in Portugal, May 2010